What's your flight plan? Where is you destination? Have you spent so much time trying to please other people that you actually end up grounding your own worthwhile dreams and talents God gave you to bless humanity?

Life is like taxes: Always seems like the penalties are most severe to those who just didn't know any better (unless you're a member of the Martha Stewart Finance Committee.)

There's no crime in wanting to get ahead. The key to long term success in whatever your venture is merely, be willing to shut up long enough to listen to someone who actually knows more than you. That was the lesson I learned when it came to organizing my time. So, what exactly was my shortfall for the past 15-20 so years that actually cost me a couple of jobs?

I was trying to do the right thing when others chose to hide and play ostrich. (I know those plumy long necked chicken heads don't actually shove their heads in the sand. That's a human characteristic called "Don't bother me, I can't cope.")

Was I guilty of wasting time? No. Was I one who ignored my responsibilities? Uh-uh, not help-everybody-be-happy-go-lucky-'bout-to-turn-40" me. My crime was caring about people who were too caught up in their own woes that they had to have someone to pour out all manner of grief. And I didn't mind, until it interfered with what I needed to do to take care of myself.

But I never gave up on those people. And most of the time when I needed them. . . they just didn't seem to want to be around good-time-Cindy. All they wanted was an all day sucker, and my time.

Well, that was about 10 years ago when I felt that I had to be on every committee under the sun in order to find fulfillment. But things started to improve when I had to stare hard at my doe-eyed emotional inner self and say:

Look, you're name is not Eternity; your health is not wrapped up in Superman's cape, and your friends will still love you when you say no! Oh, sure, there will be blamings, gritting and knashing of pearly whites and acryllic fingernails when you submit your resignation telling people they can kiss your chitlins. But you've got to think about you. . .and that's not a crime. That's an awakening.

One of my awakenings recently came as a result of associating with people who supported what I wanted for myself as a writer and speaker. They had a sense of humor, clean humor! Plus, they are the type of folks who wouldn't think of getting all bent out of shape if someone grabbed the last Splenda pack out of the office break room junk, or the last 1.75 ounce bag of stale Cheetos out of the vending machine that always kept your change. This new group of associates is not from planet Utopia. They are real like you and me; they feel like you and me with ups and downs and laughs and frowns. 

Yet the most important thing about them is they never want to recover from their dreams. They recognize neophytes who just want a chance, and ol' school pros who never tire of sharing the love for their art, their music, their poetry, novels, or community efforts for the good of this race of people we call "Humanity." Sure they all may, like most of us, have a few wacky nuts who rode to school on short yellow buses, but all in all, they just gave up playing "Hide-and-Shriek" when it came to taking risks that would put them in a stratosphere that could have helped them soar into creating a better earth purpose--a better way to stay in touch with those looking for your special gifts.

They are PowerTalkFM.com radio, and they just might want to hear what YOU have to say. So power up, click the link below, and maybe more people can rise up out of the desert sand to become part of that wonderful group I like to call "the Crown Jewel of Internet Radio."

(See the photo of the CEO who might just want to have you do your poetry on his show, that is "if you ain't skerd" to be heard.)